You know we love our knuckleballers here at Knuckle Curve. So does ESPN’s Jim Caple, who actually got into gear and caught Seattle Mariners right-hander R.A. Dickey:
I knew I was in trouble when Dickey and I were playing catch to warm up and one of his throws tipped off my glove and whizzed past my ear. “Oh, god,” Dickey said. “You might want to put the mask on now.”
Sometimes Dickey’s knuckleball danced like a drunk hummingbird. Other times it dove into the dirt like a nasty splitter. Other times it appeared to rise (I know, I know — that’s impossible, …read more

Stupid fun for a Tuesday…

Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don’t like it when someone’s stuffing it into you by the gallon. That’s what it feels like when Nolan Ryan’s throwing balls by you.
–Reggie Jackson
The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain’s free throws.
–Rick Wise
This is a game to be savored, not gulped. There’s time to discuss everything between pitches or between innings.
–Bill Veeck
Baseball fans love numbers. They love to swirl them around their mouths like Bordeaux wine.
–Pat Conroy
I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to …read more

Meanwhile, back in the ALCS, we still have to figure out which team the NL champion Rockies will face in the World Series. The Indians have taken a 2-1 series lead over the Red Sox. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Cleveland, first pitch 5 p.m. PT.
Kenny Lofton provided the big blow in Game 3 with his two-out, two-run homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the second. Lofton apparently didn’t get the memo that it’s no longer 1995.
On the other side, Boston desperately needs someone other than Josh Beckett to pitch a good game. Tim Wakefield will be the latest to …read more